SKYO wrote:Trade Hansen in a package deal with Edler for something good, that enables Jensen to play full time up front RW along with Burrows and Kassian.

Jensen's role on the team shouldn't really depend on what Hansen does. Hansen is a bottom six winger, while for Jensen to be effective, he has to be in the top-6. Only way Hansen get's top six minutes is if there are a lot of injuries to the top 6 and he's a stop gap. Other than that, he's put in a mis-casted role.

One of the things I loved about our 2011-12 team, right up until the trade deadline, was that we were a 3 scoring line team. Our play dropped off after we went back to Vigneault's model of having a 3rd line that was built to check and shutdown the opponents.

That's the model we should go back to.

1-2A-2B-3 or 1A-1B-2-3

There's nothing wrong with trying to build a team that has a 4th line that can play 12 minutes per game in a shutdown role. The 4th line doesn't need to be all scrappers and bangers who are just there to eat 5 minutes per night.

That model also would help develop guys like Jensen who are NHL ready, but not top-6 regulars quite yet. They still get to contribute, and they still get minutes and experience.....but they are generally going to be matching up against the opponent's weaker forwards and bottom pairing defensemen. When you have a forward like Kesler, your 2nd and 4th lines become shutdown lines, Kesler is just too good in that role. Look at Boston, Bergeron is probably the best shutdown center in the game right now, and he's playing on the 2nd line.....same place Kesler was playing when he won his Selke.

Cornuck wrote:Has anyone seen an article telling about the change in travel this year related to the new division? It didn't seem to help much, but was there a significant drop in miles?

I don't see how it could have resulted in a significant drop in miles when they went back to the home-and-home with every team. I think the point of the realignment was to limit the amount of games outside of a team's own time zone, and the road trips that swung out east (or west for eastern teams) seemed a bit more structured than in previous years where you might see the Canucks playing Chicago, then Florida, then Colorado, and then Pittsburgh and Columbus. It was like leave PST and go: CMT - EST - GMT - EST - back to PST. This year it just felt more orderly. Like Chicago then Columbus, Detroit, Florida, Colorado. It might not have been, it just felt that way from a viewer's standpoint.

Not much was really said around here at the time (that I can remember ) But what a dick head move by MG for shutting Malhotra down. It should always be the players choice with his doctors whether or not to retire. Luckily for manny his career will continue but it might have been over now just to stroke luggage eyes ego

Not much was really said around here at the time (that I can remember ) But what a dick head move by MG for shutting Malhotra down. It should always be the players choice with his doctors whether or not to retire. Luckily for manny his career will continue but it might have been over now just to stroke luggage eyes ego

...no one will admit it, but the cap situation was the elephant in the room. Malhotra being "shut down" just happened to coincide w/ Kesler returning from injury. They were up against the wall last year when this "coincidentally" happened.

ClamRussel wrote:...no one will admit it, but the cap situation was the elephant in the room. Malhotra being "shut down" just happened to coincide w/ Kesler returning from injury. They were up against the wall last year when this "coincidentally" happened.

Doesn't really fit with the fact that Manny spent a grand total of 0 days on LTIR, but whatever..

ClamRussel wrote:...no one will admit it, but the cap situation was the elephant in the room. Malhotra being "shut down" just happened to coincide w/ Kesler returning from injury. They were up against the wall last year when this "coincidentally" happened.

Doesn't really fit with the fact that Manny spent a grand total of 0 days on LTIR, but whatever..

Strange but doesn't mean anything. If a player is on IR for 73 games, why wouldn't he be put on LTIR? Nevertheless, he team was at the max 23-man limit *with* Kesler on IR. RK's return was imminent and they had a waiver problem. Only Schroeder could be sent down w/o being waived and clearly they wanted to keep him up. Shut down Manny = problem solved. Kesler was now practicing w/ a blue jersey which meant he could receive contact. Within one day, Manny was put on IR and Kesler was off it.

ClamRussel wrote:...no one will admit it, but the cap situation was the elephant in the room. Malhotra being "shut down" just happened to coincide w/ Kesler returning from injury. They were up against the wall last year when this "coincidentally" happened.

Doesn't really fit with the fact that Manny spent a grand total of 0 days on LTIR, but whatever..

Strange but doesn't mean anything. If a player is on IR for 73 games, why wouldn't he be put on LTIR? Nevertheless, he team was at the max 23-man limit *with* Kesler on IR. RK's return was imminent and they had a waiver problem. Only Schroeder could be sent down w/o being waived and clearly they wanted to keep him up. Shut down Manny = problem solved. Kesler was now practicing w/ a blue jersey which meant he could receive contact. Within one day, Manny was put on IR and Kesler was off it.

yes, I just presumed that whole thing was a Gillis lie. The timing with Kesler was too convenient. He did earn a heap of media praise for being so concerned with Manny's health...I don't know, maybe it was the case, seemed suspicious from the start though.

ClamRussel wrote:...no one will admit it, but the cap situation was the elephant in the room. Malhotra being "shut down" just happened to coincide w/ Kesler returning from injury. They were up against the wall last year when this "coincidentally" happened.

Doesn't really fit with the fact that Manny spent a grand total of 0 days on LTIR, but whatever..

Strange but doesn't mean anything. If a player is on IR for 73 games, why wouldn't he be put on LTIR? Nevertheless, he team was at the max 23-man limit *with* Kesler on IR. RK's return was imminent and they had a waiver problem. Only Schroeder could be sent down w/o being waived and clearly they wanted to keep him up. Shut down Manny = problem solved. Kesler was now practicing w/ a blue jersey which meant he could receive contact. Within one day, Manny was put on IR and Kesler was off it.

That makes a little more sense, that it was a roster issue not a cap issue. But, if it was a roster issue why not waive Manny? Either way you lose him and his services.

dbr wrote:Doesn't really fit with the fact that Manny spent a grand total of 0 days on LTIR, but whatever..

Strange but doesn't mean anything. If a player is on IR for 73 games, why wouldn't he be put on LTIR? Nevertheless, he team was at the max 23-man limit *with* Kesler on IR. RK's return was imminent and they had a waiver problem. Only Schroeder could be sent down w/o being waived and clearly they wanted to keep him up. Shut down Manny = problem solved. Kesler was now practicing w/ a blue jersey which meant he could receive contact. Within one day, Manny was put on IR and Kesler was off it.

That makes a little more sense, that it was a roster issue not a cap issue. But, if it was a roster issue why not waive Manny? Either way you lose him and his services.

Good question. Maybe out of respect? Perhaps Gillis really believed it? It doesn't change the fact that the optics were bad (no pun intended). It was a roster issue and a cap issue as they immediately saved Manny's cap hit the day Kesler returns.